The Aftermath
by mvfg
Summary: Sequel to my one-shot "He Can Never Speak Again", but can be read independently. What happens after the "Why?" episode, according to my imagination. This story will explore the characters of Maximus, Black Bolt, and Medusa.
1. Chapter 1

**1\. Maximus Boltagon**

He never thought he would face this much humiliation in his short fourteen years of life. As a second-born, his fate was sealed to never be considered for the throne. He was born an inhuman, but the process that was supposed to turn him into someone greater reversed his genetic make-up instead. There had been whispers among his own family that he should have his royal status removed. The people who had been his allies turned their backs on him. His brother, the firstborn of the now deceased King, had the power to destroy the whole city with a careless whisper, but still, the Council insisted that they will have a King who cannot speak to his people, _for_ his people. Does he, Maximus Boltagon, son of former King Agon, younger brother of crown prince Blackagar Boltagon, even exist in the eyes of the Council?

The door opened, and Maximus could barely keep himself from shouting. "Were you the reason they let me walk out?" His voice trembled with anger. Blackagar sat in the middle of the vast room, turned away from the door. _Meditating?_ Maximus sneered in disdain. He studied his brother as he picked himself up and faced him, worry etched on his face.

Maximus stood rooted to his spot. He had taken just one step into the chamber. "I was in there for barely a day before I was escorted out," he began noncommittally. His brother stood unmoved, so he went on. "I was met with scorn, with jeers. Apparently, I'd pulled strings because of my bloodline, because my brother is the future King!" His voice escalated. "So tell me." He suppressed his agitation, before continuing. "If it was you."

 _No._ Blackagar lied.

"What happened to not wanting to be King? I see you're already using your power for influence. Let's get this straight, brother. I don't need your help, nor your pity." He spat the last word out with enough hostility to make his brother wince. Blackagar opened his mouth as if to say something in reply, but slapped both hands over it with a pained expression on his face.

"Didn't remember to do that with our parents, did you?" Maximus watched as anguish took over his brother's features. He turned to exit the room, but Blackagar moved swiftly and grabbed his shoulder. Maximus faced him, his glare cold and impatient. _Wait. I'm sorry._ His brother implored him to stay. For what reason, Maximus was unconcerned.

He turned away as he spoke. "The council can do what they want with you, brother, but even if you stayed silent forever, it won't bring our parents back." Maximus waited for his brother to inevitably release the grip on his shoulder, before leaving the chamber without another glance back.

* * *

Three days after being released from the mines, it almost felt as if life was back to normal. Maximus found himself meditating with Karnak in the training grounds after some combat training. Gorgon was off somewhere training with the Royal Guards as he was being groomed to be their leader in the future. Medusa was a distance away from them, training to control her hair. She was currently lifting five separate objects simultaneously. The more she had to diversify the movement of her hair the harder she needed to concentrate. Maximus watched her with much fascination.

"You're not focused enough," Karnak reprimanded, his eyes still closed. "Focus on your very core of existence, and nothing else. Don't let your emotions cloud your mind. Block out all thoughts and concentrate on your breathing." Maximus rolled his eyes. "Being annoyed won't help," his cousin pointed out.

Maximus shook a stubborn lock of fringe off his forehead and sighed. Karnak cracked an eye open, before sighing himself and broke out of his meditative stance.

"How is Blackagar?" Maximus, taken aback by the sudden question, reacted a little too defensively than he would like. He gave a nonchalant shrug.

Unfazed, Karnak pressed on. "You must have seen him after you were allowed to return from the mines." It was a statement not a question.

Maximus knew he couldn't deceive Karnak so easily. "Yes, I paid him a visit. Or rather, I was _allowed_ one."

"How is he?"

"He appeared to be fine," Maximus replied curtly, hoping his cousin would stop pressing this matter.

"Did he say how he got the council to overturn their decision?" His cousin was getting on his nerves.

"No," He replied guardedly. "For all we know, he had nothing to do with it. They may have changed their minds of their own accord, decide that they should have an alternate candidate for the throne in case the one they'd chosen doesn't pan out the way they want." Maximus, fast losing his patience, stood up to leave.

Karnak rose to meet his eyes warily. "Like it or not," he said, restrained. "Your brother will be King."

* * *

"Okay, you said you were going to show me something amazing," Medusa stopped in her tracks.

Maximus frowned. "And I am."

Medusa gestured agitatedly around them. "This is a prohibited place! You're taking us into a laboratory that's been sealed off for years! Do you even know your way out? I wasn't really tracking our steps when we came down here..."

Laughing, Maximus ignored her dramatics. "Come on, you'll see." He unlocked the metal door that sealed off the lab with a key he brandished from his pocket, and beckoned for Medusa to join him. She stepped forward hesitantly.

As the lights were switched on, the amazement on Medusa's face assured Maximus that bringing her to the lab had been the right decision.

"You made all this?" She turned a full circle to take in the array of guns, books and other knick knacks she couldn't possibly identify.

"Mostly," he shrugged.

"You're making… weapons?" She gasped in realisation.

Maximus grinned. "Not really… These are just prototypes. They don't actually work," _Yet_ , he thought. "But I enjoy fiddling with things like that. Tibor was very supportive of my interests, maybe even more than my own father. He pulled strings to get me access to the weapons lab. All these," he gestured vaguely around the room, "were pilfered over the years."

"Wow, unbelievable."

"Are you going to tell on me?" Suddenly, Maximus wasn't so sure he had made the right choice to reveal this part of him to the girl he'd grown to be fond of.

"Hmm… It depends…" Medusa grabbed a gun off the table and pretended to shoot. "Are you going to show me what these do?" She asked with a mischievous glint in her eye.

Maximus laughed, partially out of relief. "Careful! You don't want to fire that by accident." He took it from her grasp.

"I thought you said they don't work? What does it do?"

"It's supposed to be a stun gun. Temporary paralysis. It's just a prototype, but perhaps I should test it on you?" He joked and Medusa shrieked, dropping the gun back on the table. He laughed and pushed the gun aside. Working or not, he wouldn't want either of them to be on the receiving end of its blast.

"Oh, what about this? Or this?" Maximus looked up at Medusa who had lifted up three other guns with her hair.

"Oh, stop showing off," he called out and started chasing after Medusa to reclaim the weapons from her hair. In her hurry to evade his advances, she accidentally fired off one of the guns and a small slab of ceiling fell to the ground.

Both of them froze for a moment before bursting into laughter.

"What did I tell you?" Maximus mock-scolded. Medusa, hastily put the guns down. "Sorry," she said meekly, but he waved her off in good nature.

There was a quiet beat as Maximus moved to stow his prototype guns in a safer place, before Medusa broke the silence.

"So this is where you've been disappearing to to since... you know?"

Not wanting to make eye contact, Maximus busied himself with clearing some of the clatter on the worktables. "Most of the time when I'm not with you and the rest, yes."

"And your brother? How's he coping? You can spend time with us, but he's… all alone."

It was an innocent question and Maximus could hear the genuine concern in her voice, but he could feel his anger rising to the surface. Somehow, the conversation had shifted to the topic of his brother again. "He's too dangerous to be out in public. One sound from him and he could destroy our entire city."

He saw Medusa's eyes widen in shock. She had probably only heard rumours of the prince's powers but to hear it firsthand from Maximus…

"Is he allowed visitors?"

Maximus shook his head. "Only the Genetic Council and his tutors are allowed in the chamber.

Medusa balked at his answer. "Not even you? You're his only family now."

Maximus fell silent. He could feel Medusa's gaze on him. "Strange, when I think about it," she mused. "We're alike in more ways than I'd imagine. The only family I have left is my sister."

Maximus mulled over their similar plights, fiddling with the stun gun prototype in his hands.

"I am genuinely sorry for what happened to your parents," he said after a moment.

Medusa faced him and gave a shake of her head. "You don't have to. In the end, it was just a consequence of them fighting for their ideals."

"It was admirable, what they did."

"You think so?"

"It takes great courage to fight for what you think is right, especially against seemingly insurmountable odds."

"They tried to lead a revolt against the council and your parents, the _king_ and _queen_. You think this is admirable? I don't." Maximus could hear the derision in her voice.

He left the stun gun on the table and walked alongside the length of it, contemplating his next words. "Medusa, our entire civilisation is based on change, on transformation. In any society, prolonged stagnation will eventually lead to demise. Constant evolution is key to being relevant in this universe - it brings progression. We have been this enclosed society for such a long time, self-governed and self-sufficient, and a false sense of security has begun to set in among our people. I think what I'm saying is that some form of change is welcome. Our leaders need to be challenged occasionally to keep them on their toes. We may be living in a time of peace now, but even you and I both know this will not last forever."

Medusa was silent for a moment before replying. Her eyes downcast. "I'd rather much have my parents around for my sister and myself. I wished they'd placed _us_ above their ideals."

"Your parents - they were punished for fighting for what they believed in. My parents were compliant till the end, and look where that got them?"

"Don't say that, Maximus. If it helps, I don't blame your parents for what happened to mine."

Maximus forced a smile. He thought it was a twist of fate that the discord between their parents had brought them together.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Thanks for reading! This story continues after the one-shot I wrote (He Can Never Speak Again). It doesn't matter if you've read it or not, as I've written this story to fill in certain gaps left by the Inhumans TV show. There will likely be two more chapters after this, which I'm in the midst of completing. Please like or review the story so that I know I'm on the right track! Fanfiction is a very new thing to me so every review, favourite or follow is very much appreciated. Shout-out to _Ardhoniel Marvelit_ e and _FriendLey_ for reviewing my one-shot, giving me encouragement to write more. Thank you! :)


	2. Chapter 2

**2\. Medusalith Amaquelin (Part 1)**

Their footsteps echoed down the hallway as Medusa and her younger sister, Crystal, walked the long stretch to the Throne Room, where King Agon and his wife, Queen Rynda stood stiffly. The grim expression on their faces as she approached unnerved her. Avoiding their gaze, she let her head drop as she gave Crystal a reassuring smile, hoping that it looked convincing enough to a five year old. When they finally came to a stop before the King and Queen, she bowed while making sure her sister did the same.

"Crystal and I received your summon and we made our way here the soonest we could." She could barely hide the tremble in her voice. She had a good idea of the reason for the summon. She had hardly seen her parents around the past few days, and there had also been whispers of what the two of them had been up to.

King Agon broke the silence first. "Medusalith…"

"Is this about my parents?" She knew she was being audacious, interrupting the King like that, but she would rather have them get straight to the point.

Rather than looking offended, Agon simply stated, "So, you have heard."

"What I've heard… It cannot be the truth," she replied indignantly, switching her gaze between Agon and Rynda, searching for any hint that they might be sharing similar thoughts as herself. She was met with indifference.

"Your parents are traitors," King Agon declared, his voice even. It was a simple statement, spoken with absolute authority. Medusa knew there was no argument to be made. Still, she tried.

"You're lying." It was a feeble attempt, she knew, and downright impudent. If she hadn't been family, she would have been restrained by now for disrespectful willfulness.

Queen Rynda finally spoke up. "They may have done what they thought was right. But they tried to lead a revolution against us."

 _A revolution?_ Her heart raced as she processed what this infraction of the law could mean for her parents. The confirmation of the rumours she'd been hearing hurt.

"And why your parents have been banished." The words of the King seemed oddly distant, and before she knew it, Medusa was running along corridor upon corridor, until she heard sobbing behind her.

"Crystal!" She cried out. Her sister's tear-stained cheeks and loud pants caused her own tears to spill. "I'm so sorry, Crystal." She brushed the tears off her sister's face and hastily wiped hers away when she realised they were now out of the palace and in public.

"What happened to Mother and Father?" Fresh tears were threatened to spill onto her sister's face again. Medusa hushed her gently, pulling her into a tight hug.

"They're being sent somewhere far away." She broke the embrace and stood up, hand still on Crystal's shoulder. Confusion spread on her little face. Medusa was well-aware of the stares they were attracting, but she ignored them and focused on her sister.

"Don't worry Crystal. You're going to be okay. Even though it's just you and me now." She had meant to reassure her sister, but deep down she knew it was just as much meant for herself.

"How?" Her sister asked. Medusa wondered how much Crystal understood of their situation. "Will we see Mother and Father again?"

"We won't." She did not want to lie to her sister. "But you have me." She grasped Crystal's little hand tightly, the weight of it suddenly burdensome and daunting. She now had to be responsible for someone else's life other than herself. "We are all we need."

* * *

That night, she settled Crystal down to sleep before she broke down, finally able to do so away from prying eyes. Disconsolate, she left her living quarters and headed out aimlessly. Along the way, she bumped into Maximus. There was mutual surprise for both of them, being out this late at night. He must have noted her red and puffy eyes as he did a double take.

"Are you okay?"

Medusa kept her head low, feeling slightly embarrassed that she had been seen in this manner. Maximus shifted his weight from side to side uncomfortably. Medusa guessed he was trying to be tactful.

"I've heard… about what happened to your parents."

Medusa shook her head. "I don't want to talk about this now, Prince Maximus." Then, realising she was being a little harsh on him for being concerned, she added, "I just can't believe they are _gone_. I'm not even sure what I'm feeling now -this sadness, and… _anger_. They won't even be around for my terrigenesis in a couple of weeks."

Maximus gave a jerk of his head to suggest they continue their walk along the myriad of corridors in the royal residence. They walked in step, a comfortable silence gradually settling in.

"I'm not even supposed to know this…" Maximus seemed to consider his next words carefully. "Much less talk about it." He looked pointedly at Medusa. She shot him a questioning glance back.

Maximus looked straight ahead to avoid her curious gaze before continuing."Your parents… They were supposed to be executed in public for treason."

Medusa froze. _Executed for treason? But King Agon had said that they were banished…_ The words sunk in and she glared at Maximus, who was now a couple of steps ahead of her.

"How..?"

"The palace walls have ears," he answered vaguely. "My parents… They fought hard with the Council for leniency with regards to your parents. As you know, treason in Attilan is punishable by death, and - "

"Royal blood does not protect one against that sentence," Medusa recited the edict. Maximus nodded.

"I'm not just telling you this because I don't want you to put the blame on my parents. I just want you to know the full picture. There were many variables that ultimately led to this unfortunate consequence that has befallen your parents."

* * *

The next week passed in a blur. Crystal woke every morning, crying for their parents. Medusa tried her best to console and talk to her as she imagined their mother would. Every morning, she would braid Crystal's hair before they attended their private lessons, just like how their mother used to do. At night, she brushed her sister's hair and sang her the lullaby they had listened to every night since birth.

"I could brush your hair," Crystal remarked one night while Medusa was combing through her hair.

"Well, do you know how?" Medusa smiled. Crystal turned around to face her. "I can try," she replied earnestly. Medusa laughed. "It's okay, Crystal. I'm too old for that anyway."

"Oh." Her sister frowned and turned away again. "But Mother used to brush your hair every night."

Medusa sighed. "Well, _Mother_ is not around now. So I - or rather, _we_ , have to grow up."

"Can I come for your terr-uh… terr-uh-gen thing tomorrow?" Crystal asked after a moment of silence.

"It's terr-i-ge-ne-sis," Medusa corrected her. "And no, you can't. You're too young to go alone." She tapped on her sister's head with the brush to let her know she was done. Crystal turned around immediately, looking at her with pleading eyes.

"It's not working!" Medusa commented while setting the brush down by the bedside table. "You will see me after that, I'll come back as soon as I can. Promise."

Crystal pouted. "If I can't go, then can I brush your hair? Please? Just the tangles. I promise to be gentle like Mother. " Medusa narrowed her eyes at her sister, before reaching for the brush and handing it over to her. A grin broke on Crystal's face. "Maybe the terr-uh-gen thing will give you nice hair without tangles?"

Medusa half-suppressed a snort. "What sort of power is that?"

Crystal started giggling, and Medusa joined in. She was nervous about the next day, but she could not let that side of her show when she was with Crystal. She wondered what happened to the Princes after their Terrigenesis a couple of days ago. Her parents and herself had been invited to the ceremony but she had declined after what had happened to her parents. Besides, she couldn't leave Crystal alone. She closed her eyes and imagined that it was her mother who was combing through her hair and tried to relax. _Everything will be fine,_ she told herself.


	3. Chapter 3

**3\. Medusalith Amaquelin (Part 2)**

A week after her chat with Maximus in his secret lab, Medusa caught her mind wandering off to the older prince again. Every time she was with her sister, Crystal, she couldn't help but think how lonely Blackagar must be, since Maximus mentioned he wasn't allowed visitors. So with great resolution and the streak of rebellion she'd always possessed, she headed to the wing of the palace that the Prince was said to be housed in. She felt a little guilty to have tricked the information out of Gorgon, but the thrill of committing an act in secrecy had been too great.

So on a rare afternoon when she did not have classes and Crystal was taking a nap, she set out for Blackagar's secret room and sneaked down the mazy corridors in a way that she was sure both Gorgon and Karnak would have been proud of, had they any idea what she was currently up to. She held her breath and plastered herself against the wall as she let a couple of guards round the corner before heading down the same corridor herself.

 _This is it._ She stood before the grey, monotonous door. Nothing about it hinted that Attilan's future king resided within. Her gaze slid to the panel to the right of the door. _It's a one-way lock, so anyone can enter, but Black Bolt cannot leave even if he wanted to,_ Gorgon's voice replayed in her head. _Why do you need to know anyway?_ Fortunately, Medusa's swift but subtle change of subject after that had been successful. Steeling herself, she pushed the panel and the huge door slid open.

Medusa didn't really know what she was expecting to see. An impressive living quarters adorned with ornaments fit for a future king? Or a cell-like chamber given how it sounded as if the prince was being imprisoned? She never got to finish that thought. Her eyes fell on the lone figure in the vast room. He was turned away from her, but as soon as he heard the door opening, he stood up to face the source of noise. Medusa felt her heartbeat elevate, but wasn't sure if she should attribute that to the thrill of her misdemeanour, or to Blackagar's intense gaze on her. His blue eyes were searching, the initial look of surprise long gone, replaced by curiosity and… _sorrow_?

The silence in the room was getting increasingly loud and encroaching, so she said the first polite thing that came to her mind. "Hi, I'm Medusa."

She took a couple of steps forward, not waiting for any sort of consent from the prince. She'd already broken enough rules by opening the door behind her, one more misstep wouldn't make much of a difference.

In those couple of steps however, she made, to her horror, multiple realisations. _One_ , she hadn't rehearsed at all what she was going to say to the prince. Maybe apart from pointing out the fact that they were now in similar predicaments, having both lost their parents. Her plan had been singular and simple - find out where Black Bolt is and pay him a visit. _Two_ , she had made a pointless introduction since Blackagar would surely already know who she is. And _three_ , he couldn't speak, so how in the world were they going to communicate? She tried to hide her unease as the silence between them stretched out once more. Blackagar simply frowned at her introduction, eyes tracing her every movement. She saw him flinch, his shoulders squaring as soon as she closed the distance between them.

"I'm not afraid of you," she declared, hoping he will ease up on his defensive stance. Nevertheless, the prince raised a hand and gave a shake of his head. _Stop._

Medusa halted her advance. He tapped his throat once, and held his arms up in a sign of surrender, or warning, she couldn't be sure.

"I know… about you. Your condition." A pause, then she corrected herself. "Your gift."

He lowered his head at that, hiding his face from her view.

"No, don't!" His head snapped back up. "Don't do that, please," she said more softly this time, remembering that this was a prince she was speaking to. Strangely, whatever snide remarks she'd thought of making about their parents being gone had disappeared from mind. Instead, all she was felt a growing connection, not dissimilar to what she had pointed out when she was with Maximus.

Blackagar's questioning gaze fell on her once more. "I need to be able to see your face, since you can't speak," she explained. His brows quirked, in a "that makes sense" way. He then pointed in the direction of the door, to Medusa, and threw both hands up in a shrug. _How?_

"Well, let's just say a cousin of ours has been very helpful with regards to me finding out your location," she replied light-heartedly. When Blackagar tried to suppress a smirk, she continued, "However, he has no idea what I'm up to, so he's innocent in that regard." He nodded in agreement, a small grin forming on his face. Medusa found herself wondering whether he had any, if at all, reasons to be happy while being held in this secluded chamber. As she regarded his temporary amusement, she had to admit that the prince had grown to be very attractive, and felt her face flush when she caught herself thinking that way.

Medusa cleared her throat to get rid of that thought. "Anyway, I heard you weren't allowed visitors and thought that sounded really horrible, so… here I am. I hope I'm not intruding into your personal space by doing so, though the size of this room seems really excessive for one person."

Now, she could afford to give the room a once-over, and she saw a drab living area that seemed to contain only what was necessary. On the side they were at was a bed and table with a few books on top. There was a bathroom on the far side, and in the middle was a sealed glass chamber.

"Is that..?" She pointed out. Blackagar caught her drift and nodded, his face grim. She found herself being drawn to the chamber, and she could hear him in step behind her as she stepped forward to take a closer look. In it was a singular chair with multiple straps on the armrests and a steel table with an assortment of medical equipment. She spotted a needle amidst the small clutter and turned around so fast she nearly bumped into him. Blackagar froze, his face just inches away from hers. Medusa jerked backwards in response, and she could feel her hair reacting in a similar fashion. The astonishment on Blackagar's face was somehow hilarious in that moment, and she wondered what his thoughts were, but filed that question away for another time.

" Is that - is this where your… _training_ takes place?" She asked instead, with an unintended emphasis, afraid that she was overstepping her boundaries. He clenched his jaw and nodded stiffly. Medusa thought she saw a hint of fear flash in his eyes but she couldn't be sure. He pointed at the chamber, then to his throat, mock-slashing it with two fingers.

"It helps you to control your voice?"

She got another nod from the prince. While she was still debating with herself if she should pursue the subject further, he tapped his wrist with urgency and indicated towards the door.

"Someone's coming soon?" She asked anxiously. Blackagar tilted his head to one side. _Maybe._

Dismayed but resigned that her visit would be cut short, she let herself be led to the door. "I guess this is goodbye, Prince Blackagar," she turned to face the prince and bowed slightly. He covered his mouth to suppress what Medusa would have guessed was a snort, before signing for her to do away with the… _crown on his head_?

"Oh." It dawned on her. "So, no 'prince' then? Just Blackagar?" Still, he shook his head, but waited for her to decipher his intention. He brought his hands together till they were just an inch apart, before holding two fingers up..

 _Short? Two words?_ "Black Bolt? You want me to call you Black Bolt?" She deduced. Blackagar grinned, pleased that he had made his point across. She shot a smile back at him before pushing the door open wider to make her exit. She gasped as she felt a warm hand on her arm, but the touch vanished before she could turn around. Blackagar looked apologetic, maybe even embarrassed as she waited for his explanation. He pointed at her, then to himself, before breaking eye contact with her.

"You want me… to visit again?" Medusa ventured. Surprised, Black Bolt regarded her with renewed fervour. _Yes. Will you?_ His eyes seemed to convey so much to her.

"I would. Gladly."

The relief on his face was palpable. Reluctantly, she stepped out and closed the door behind her. She wondered when was the soonest she could visit again.

* * *

Exactly a week after, she found herself back in Black Bolt's room. She didn't want to refer to it as a 'chamber' any longer as it reminded her of the lone chair and the needles she saw that could only equate to one thing… _Pain_. She was pretty certain that was part of Black Bolt's _training_ , even if he had been vague about the topic during their first meeting. This time, she brought along various literature works. She had spotted some books on his bedside and figured he might be interested in having more options to pore over. By the end of their second meeting, they had gone over four chapters of the book he had chosen, with Medusa reading aloud as Black Bolt insisted she do so. She also updated the prince on the going-ons of herself, her sister, Crystal, as well as his cousins. When she mentioned she had barely seen Maximus at all the past week, Black Bolt simply frowned but they did not dwell on the topic any longer.

The visits became a regular affair. On the fourteenth such visit (yes, she had been counting), she made her way to the room as usual. After waiting for the guards to walk past the study, down the corridor and turn right into another hallway (she learned of their exact patrol times by the fourth visit and so, they wouldn't appear for another forty-five minutes), she strode to the door. Before she could press on the panel to open it, another set of footsteps echoed down the hallway that the guards had just walked down, and they were approaching quickly. She bolted in the opposite direction, back to where she just emerged from, and calmed herself down before peeking out from behind the wall. It was Maximus who stood before the door. His hand hovered above the panel for a long moment, but he never pushed it. Medusa thought she heard him muttering something, indiscernible from where she was. She ducked behind the wall before he turned around, and sprinted down the hallway as quickly as she could quietly. She could not let herself be caught. But that meant she would not see Black Bolt until next week.

As luck would have it, the wait to see Black Bolt stretched on for two more weeks. After the previous close shave with Maximus's bizarre intrusion, Medusa found herself spending the following week's _secret-visiting time_ with Karnak and Gorgon as they celebrated the latter's official acceptance into Attilan's Royal Guard.. She could not turn them down without raising any suspicions, much less with the most-perceptive Karnak around.

So it was with great yearning and eagerness in the following week that she practically flew to the door of Black Bolt's study once the guards' footsteps faded out. She pressed down on the panel with more force than required and waited as the door slid open. _Since when does it open so slowly?_

She practically stumbled into the room as she squeezed through the opening once she deemed the gap was big enough.

"I'm sorry I -" She was cut off as she found herself wrapped in Black Bolt's embrace. They stayed like this for a few moments, while Medusa found herself speechless, her heart thumping wildly. When he finally released her, he brought his hands up to cup her face, his breath rapid and hands slightly trembling. _What happened?_ His eyes burned with emotion.

"I…" She studied every inch of his face, and understood his fears. She never considered how he must have felt waiting for her each week with no one to talk to, not knowing what happened to her. He must have imagined every worst possible scenario that could have happened, with no way to seek assurance or answers as no one could ever find out about their weekly meetings. She realised it was pointless to explain her absence for two consecutive weeks. She apologised again.

"I should have found a way to visit you, I didn't think - " Black Bolt placed a finger on her lips to stop her. _It's okay._ Then, he gazed into her eyes with greater emphasis. _You're okay._

He released his hold on her, letting his arms fall awkwardly by his side, as if he'd just realised what he had done, and gestured for her to follow him. He sat on his bed with a book in his hand. Medusa lit up when she saw it was the book they (or rather, she) had been reading three weeks ago.

"Missed my voice?" She teased. Black Bolt arched his brows exaggeratedly. _Very much so._

The forty minutes they had to themselves flew by and once again, Medusa found herself walking to the exit reluctantly. "I guess I'll see you again next week," she said glumly. "Goodbye, Black Bolt." He took her hand with a frown, the touch sending tingles down her spine. With two fingers, he brushed a lock of her hair before repeating the same arc-movement down the right side of his face and ended with his fingers resting above his heart. He gave her a nervous smile and pointed at her, before repeating the same gestures as before. _Hair, heart._

 _Medusa._

Her eyes widened in realisation, before she took a hold of the hand on his chest. He gave her hand a light squeeze in return.

"I suppose that's as close as I would get to hear you say my name," Medusa commented when she was confident she could do so with a steady voice. He always made it hard for her to leave, even if it was just one week before they saw each other again. Slowly, he walked her the remaining few steps to the door and gave a wave. _Go now, Medusa._

The last sign she saw was her name before the door slid shut. "See you next week, Black Bolt," she said, even though he could no longer hear her. Black Bolt. She said his name over and over again in her head, and her hand absent-mindedly pulled on the lock of hair he had caressed. The ghost of his touch seemed to still linger.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Apologies for the long break! I've been on vacation and just got back to writing. Double-chapter post :D Thanks to all who favourited/followed! One more part after this from Black Bolt's POV.


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